Today, I want to feature a video I made a while back, of all the bears I have seen during my times in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Starting with summer of 2010 and ending summer of 2013. I have bears to add from my trip in 2014. And, add the bears I saw at Brooks River last summer.

Saturday April 8, 2017

Today’s video is of footage taken July 7, 2016. The video features sea wildlife. The screen recording of me making today's video is on the Video Editing Sessions Page : ) the finished video.

B l o g

Wednesday April 5, 2017

I read where it was being asked for pictures or videos of a bear(814) around the time it was last seen. I was going through video looking at what I had and...here are two pictures from video. The video was shot July 5, 2017 about 3:00PM AKDT.

Welcome to the newest page to my site. This is where I am going to share miscellaneous things such as pictures and videos and whatever else I can think to put here.

Thursday April 6, 2017

For a very long time I have been wanting to make my website as safe and as secure as possible for visitors. I wanted visitors to enjoy the content and not worry about is some kind of virus or malware and now ransomeware going to be downloaded that infects my computer. I am very happy to announce I have taken reasonable steps to secure my website. Verification can be seen with the addition of the SiteLock icon bottom left of page and further security with the addition of the McAfee Secure. along the right side. Clicking on either with display site secure status information.

Thursday April 6, 2017

Finished a video bear viewing, Northern Katmai National Park and Preserve, August 20, 2012. I observed this bear sow and 2 cubs, I believe to be spring cubs, for about three hours. I have included a lengthy preview(7 minutes) of the lengthy video(64 minutes) added to Trips to Alaska, Alaska 2012. : )

Friday April 7, 2017

I thought I would change things up a bit. I'm going to see what I can do to add some video and pictures of marine wildlife. As important to me as bear viewing is, I always make plans to get on the waters of Southern Alaska. Sometimes that has been only Kenai Wildlife tours or Prince William Sound tours. Sometimes, both.

The video I am including today is depart the small boat harbor of Seward Alaska. it is from July 7, 2016.

Saturday April 8, 2017

I have been busy changing the Alaska pages back to the way they were. It is my hopes to be able to tell a story about a featured video. In the blog it is my hopes that when I add a link to the video. The link will take the user to the web page the video is on and position at the video to click play. I have also been making some changes to the Live page. I am adding a drop down page that will feature the screen recordings i have done. : )

I hope to be adding later, today’s video as well as the recording of me making todays video. :)

Didn't get an entry done yesterday as I was distracted watching the bear programing on NatGeoWild. It was nice to be able to watch shows I had seen before and the ones I hadn't seen like, Ghost Bear and Empire of the Grizzlies. The programs about the polar bears was something else as well. I enjoyed the one show where there was polar bears standing in a river trying to catch salmon. Seeing that gives me hope that they like all creatures adapt and over come. I hope so.

I did manage to work on the web page just a bit during commercials. I have made the header stick and stay in place for navagation. And, I am happy to say I have figured out how to add the ability to link to the page a video or picture is on and then position the page so the video or picture is shown. Saves having to scroll down a page and wonder if the right video being watched is the right one. lol One can click on the blue, in entry below to gain an understanding what I mean. : ) I am going to work on the color and formating soon.

I have been spending time creating a new video of all the bears I have seen during my visits to Katmai National Park and Preserve. So far so good. I am happy with how it is coming along. I have been doing screen recordings of me editing video and have added the recordings on the Editing Sessions Page.

Friday, April 14, 2017 PM

I am still happy, with how the new video is coming along. I have been capturing still frames from the video. Below is a few.

Monday April 17, 2017 PM

I have completed a new video of all the bears I have seen during my trips to Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska from 2010 to 2016. Over that time, I have accumulated 856 video clips, totaling 15 hours 15 minutes. I look forward to adding to them very soon.

Please excuse the video. It's inspired from deep concern over the fate of wildlife, the land and the salmon that is a precious part of Katmai, with rumored changes. More can be learned by clicking on the following links.

I have been to Katmai several times since 2010. It is such a special place. A place I have been so lucky to be able to see such remote wilderness. What an experience it was to share a hill side with a bear or watching a bear walk past me only feet away as it fished. How a bear, in a meadow, at Hallo Bay, would fall to the ground and onto it's back and scratch, when we started to get up and leave. It was like it was performing to keep us there, to keep it company. Seeing a wounded spring cub trying to walk and feeling it's chances to survive wasn't to good. Only to feel so sure it did as I watched it walking along side it's mother . A gimp to the leg that reminded me of how the cub the year before walked. Those are such wonderful moments that I'll always cherish. I never imagined there would be such a threat so soon to ruin it all for others to enjoy not only now but years into the future.

And the affects not only in and around the falls at Brooks River, but, how other areas of Katmai National Park and Preserve? will become over used. Based on the numbers from the most recent "Bears of Brooks River 2017" (Page 22) book. At the rate of how bear usage has declined, it seems like there has only been speculation to explain the declining number of bears coming to the area.

It just seems like with such a magnificent animal, time should be taken to know for sure why fewer and fewer bears are using brooks river. To me it doesn’t make sense to build more platforms because at the rate of decline in only a couple of more years there’ll be no bears coming to use the brooks area. I also suspect the number of moose sightings and wolves could become something only talked about. So the platforms are needed, why?

Thursday April 27, 2017 PM

Monday May 15, 2017 PM

I just can't leave things well enough alone.

As it has turned out, and I had a hunch. I wont be flying to Alaska and then over to Brooks Camp, the first of July. I guess subconsciously that would just be to easy, because of having driven up to and down from Alaska 6 times. To me the best part of going to Alaska is seeing everything between home and there.

And its because of that that today I put money down on a travel trailer to use. What a better way to get use to using it, is to use it. It will get used alright.lol And just as soon as I have jury duty completed, soon, I'll be focusing on getting things done around here, so I can get on the road north. And if everything works out like I hope it does, I wont be able to fly to Alaska because I'll already be there to fly over to Brooks Camp.

Sunday June 25, 2017 PM

Its been over a month since my last blog entry. I have had things I wanted to add but there just hasn't been enough time until now. I am taking today off to just rest and relax in my camper. I am slowly getting the modifications I am wanting to make, completed. But this what I wanted to talk about now.

I was able to see nature last week at its not so kindest. On the way back to the park entrance a moose calf was seen on the left side of a gravel river bed. It only took a few minutes of watching to realize it was injured. The calf tried to get up and was unable to due to either one or both back legs or hips being broke. It was hard to watch it try and get up and being unable to. I sat there watching and new there was nothing that could be done to help it. Again, it is the National Parks Service not intervening in matters such as this. To let the natural course of events run its course. I thought about what would get to it first. Either a wolf, bear or even a wolverine. I made note of what river bed it was and would look for it the next morning. The next morning as we drove by, looked for it and I was surprised it was still alive. I could it was moving its ears and make out it was breathing. I thought it would sir come to its injuries or a larger animal would get it. I made note and would look again when exiting the park 8 hours later. When we were on our way back to the park entrance, it was still there. We passed so fast I was unable to determine if it was alive or not, but it was still there. The next day it wasn't there and there was no sign, that I could tell, another animal had been there. I was entertaining thoughts that maybe the Park Service intervened. I thought they did because they did when two calves were orphaned last year after their mom had been shot days before. The calves were staying at the entrance of the park road and Parks Highway. They were creating such a hazard with cars just stopping on the highway or the park road. They moved the calves down to a wildlife center near Anchorage. So, having known about the park service intervening then they would again due to the location of the calf being very close to the road, Traffic would be at a stand still and that wouldn't be tolerated due to buses needing to remain on schedule. It would be a few days later when my suspicion was confirmed when I was able to talk to a park service employee. I didn’t ask the employee to go into details of how it was handled. I just didn’t want to know.

As I recorded video of this calf it wasn’t easy to watch at all. My heart did go out to the new, little creature and the future that wouldn’t be difficult to imagine. As I was preparing the video to help illistrate what I have written, I came across a moose cow and calf running down the road in front of the bus. At the time I thought she was trying to run away from the bus. But as I review it now, it seems to me, she seems to be in a hurry trying to find something. I wonder if it might be the calf seen further back. I don't know. Those that watch, I'll let you decide.